By Eric Smith

Joe Prebich understands that an outdoor brand needs more than quality product to stand apart in a crowded marketplace.

The recently appointed CEO and managing director of Mammut North America—whose previous industry experience includes stints at Fjallraven, Zeal Optics and Oakley—knows that any successful venture relies on a talented employee base, a strong marketing plan, an effective channel strategy and a solid supply chain.

But Prebich believes a simple yet often overlooked task is also required.

“It’s about storytelling,” Prebich told SGB recently. “And for Mammut, it’s about translation.”

Prebich, who joined Switzerland-based Mammut Sport Group AG in April as the head of its North American operation, is fully committed to translating the outdoor brand’s story for consumers on this side of the Atlantic.

And what a story it is. The 156-year-old company has a rich heritage, starting in 1862 with the creation of the climbing rope and then unfolding over the last century and a half with the production of innovative apparel and gear for all manner of adventurists.

“We embrace the pieces of our heritage that help authenticate us, but we also embrace the fact that we’re from Europe,” Prebich said. “We grew up in the Alps. We grew up in mountaineering, climbing, alpinism—these are in our blood and in our DNA.

“That’s the storytelling we’ll be focusing on here in North America. We’re going to say, ‘Good morning, this is Mammut. You may not have heard of us, but we’ve been around for 156 years. We invented the climbing rope. We’ve always been involved and engaged in the outdoor community, and we’ve sustained it for a long time.’”

Prebich fully acknowledges that while Mammut’s story might be familiar in and around the Alps, it doesn’t necessarily resonate along the Appalachian Trail or on the slopes of Arapahoe Basin. That’s why the company brought him on board.

“Mammut was looking for somebody to guide the company’s vision in North America,” he said. “There had been some restructuring, and adding the North American CEO position was one of the last puzzle pieces. The group sees great value and great opportunity with North American consumers as we translate Mammut’s view of the outdoors and how we differentiate ourselves both from the look and feel of our product as well as the brand marketing and vision side.”

Prebich knows that as the company looks to reintroduce itself in North America, Mammut’s heritage story will be a central theme, but reputation alone won’t attract new legions of brand evangelists. So the company’s strategy is centered on showcasing the value of Mammut gear, expanding the digital presence and increasing the number of channel partnerships, all in hopes of growing both mind share and market share.

“I come from a brand-building background,” Prebich said. “My focus is understanding what the brand is good at, where the consumer interests lay and how we position ourselves to talk to a customer that we haven’t necessarily spoken to before but is looking for a chance to upgrade their performance.”

Performance gear is where Mammut believes the brand can differentiate. Prebich said the company’s ability to blend technology and design, form and function, perfectly taps into a white space in the market—one Mammut wants to own.

“I feel like there’s this ‘performance moment’ that’s ushering into the outdoor space that Mammut is distinctly positioned for,” Prebich said. “We’re a performance outdoor brand. We understand what it takes to make incredibly good gear to help people survive and also thrive in some of the harshest climates. We take that kind of principle and philosophy to our Eiger collection and we drill that down into the main collection as well to ensure that no matter what you purchase from Mammut, the product has that premium performance guarantee. I think that the consumer today is looking for the brands that are going to help them perform.”

At the same time, Mammut is looking to maintain an eye on design and style, one example being the Delta X collection that debuted at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Denver, CO. But throughout Mammut’s collections, Prebich said the brand wants consumers to be “comfortable in New York and comfortable on the Eiger.”

One step the company has taken in expanding its audience was acquiring Mountain Hub, a digital platform that compiles user-generated content so that skiers, hikers, climbers, mountain bikers and anyone else venturing into the backcountry know what’s happening on whatever trail they’re exploring.

Mountain Hub users are now part of the Mammut ecosystem, and Prebich said the deal will help the company engage the next generation of consumers, while also giving those users a platform to share their own stories about everything from adventure ideas to trail conditions, gear tips to guide referrals. The company’s growing emphasis on digital is another reason Prebich was tapped to lead the brand’s North American reintroduction.

“I deeply understand the digital space, and I am a huge believer in how we don’t just simply do digital, but we do digital the ‘Mammut way,’” he said. “The global team was focused on was this acquisition with Mountain Hub and being able to leverage a digital platform quickly into the North American market to spin up the opportunity to create a community of Mammut enthusiasts, to connect our brand to the customer journey as it’s tied to product.”

Traditional channels also remain a critical component of Mammut’s North American strategy. In addition to plans for opening a company-branded retail location here, Mammut is also looking to further engage retail partners both large and small by underscoring the value of the brand and maintaining a consistent price structure.

“It’s about showing that consistency to the retailers,” Prebich said. “It’s telling that story that says, ‘Listen, even though we may not be the biggest brand in North America today, we understand what has made us great.’”

Prebich, who was a journalism major in college and takes pride in his storytelling abilities, understands the need for a tale to be woven in a compelling manner from beginning to end. As he describes it, Mammut has all the elements and has gone “through all of the different paces, upside down and inside out,” to ensure the company is ready to embrace North America and that the feeling is mutual.

The brand believes that it’s bringing the best and most in-demand products to market. That it has a comprehensive digital strategy. That it’s working to forge tight-knit relationships with channel partners. And that it has a CEO who, more than anything, knows the importance of a good story.

“We’re coming to North America with a new strategy, a refocused energy and a brand-first approach with a consumer engagement strategy,” Prebich said. “We are introducing customers to a brand that they’ve probably never heard of, but one that has been so influential in so many outdoor industry moments that they’re going to be intrigued. We’re already seeing this initial interest. Curiosity has been piqued and people are saying, ‘Oh wow, I never knew. Tell me more.’”

Photo courtesy Mammut North America

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://s.gravatar.com/avatar/dec6c8d990a5a173d9ae43e334e44145?s=80[/author_image] [author_info]Eric Smith is Senior Business Editor at SGB Media. Reach him at eric@sgbonline.com or 303-578-7008. Follow on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.[/author_info] [/author]